Ack! We know we haven’t posted anything in a while… Sorry. Here’s another recipe!

Paul and I made popcorn the other day. I added vegan Becel, Nutritional Yeast, a pinch of salt, and smoked chipotle chili powder. I told Paul that Nutritional Yeast tasted cheesy… One handful later, Paul told me that he didn’t care for it. He found it bitter and not at all cheese-like. I was determined to prove him wrong, Nutritional Yeast IS yummy and cheese-like, especially when making vegan Mac and Cheese. Mmm.

Melt margarine in a sauce pan. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Be careful not to burn the roux.

To this paste, add soy sauce, lemon juice, miso, and ketchup and whisk until well incorporated. Slowly pour in soymilk, whisking constantly, until it is completely incorporated. Add the yeast, paprika, oregano, and chili pepper flakes and mix well. The sauce is ready once it thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mix cooked pasta, cheese sauce and Daiya cheese together in a casserole dish. Top with bread crumps and bake for 25minutes or until browned.

Amy had originally made this for me when we first started going out. She claimed to have most of the ingredients at her apartment so we dropped by after work and picked them up. Turns out she lied! OK, OK, so she had most of the ingredients for the sauce, and the rice noodles, but we needed to get the fresher ingredients. This recipe makes a HUGE quantity of pad thai (especially when you’re only 2 people, like we are.) We both got to enjoy a large portion for lunch the next day. While the kale is really nontraditional, it makes it a bit heartier.

Directions:
-Make the rice noodles according to the directions provided
-Mix the ingredients for the sauce
-Preheat a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Pour 2 tablespoons peanut oil into the pan and heat. Stir fry tofu for 4-5 minutes until crisp. Remove from pan and set aside.
-Heat more peanut oil into the pan. Add red onion and cook until caramelized. Add sauce and kale. Cover until kale has wilted. Add the noodles, tofu, bean sprouts, green onions, chilies, and peanuts. Mix until everything is covered in sauce. Serve with lime wedge and chopped cilantro. ENJOY!

Recently, Paul and I decided to get in better shape, so we joined the gym. We had this great idea that we would eat really healthy and work out almost everyday! Our bubble was burst when we were suddenly craving cake. Yup, cake, destroyer of any dieter’s dream…

Well not anymore! Here’s a delicious flourless chocolate cake with a mystery ingredient, BLACK BEANS!

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9″ cake pan with cooking spray, or just grease it with a thin layer of butter. Dust cocoa all over the inside of the pan, tapping to evenly distribute. Cut a round of parchment paper and line the bottom of the pan, then spray the parchment lightly. (Trust me, this made it so easy to remove from the pan.)

Drain and rinse beans in a strainer or colander. Shake off excess water. Place beans, 3 of the eggs, vanilla, and salt into a food processor or blender. Blend on high until beans are smooth. In a small bowl, mix together cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. In In a larger bowl, beat butter with Splenda until light and fluffy. Add remaining two eggs, beating for a minute after each addition. Pour bean batter into egg mixture and mix. Finally, stir in cocoa powder and water, and beat the batter on high for one minute, until completely smooth. Pour batter into pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Afterwards, turn out cake from pan, and flip over again on to a cooling rack. Let cool until cake reaches room temperature, then cover (a giant mixing bowl works great.) Let the cake sit for 8 hours or overnight. Otherwise you might end up with a bean-y flavoured cake.

Cream together the margarine and shortening. Add the cocoa powder and mix well. Add the icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time and a bit of coconut water (or milk) and beat well. When all the ingredients are well blended, add the coconut extract and beat until the buttercream is fluffy.

So how did it taste you ask? It was awesome! The cake seemed a little crumbly at first, but the delicious buttercream frosting held it together nicely. We had some fun trying to move it around once frosted, but ultimately we prevailed! We also continued the trend of garnishing with chili peppers, but please, DON’T EAT THEM, especially with cake, yuck!

Long story short, this is the first in a long line of baked goods to be blogged about!

So I was a little embarrassed to admit this, but I (Paul) had never made soup before. Now this came as some surprise to Amy as she loves making soup, and is pretty darn good at it! We had a fridge full of Kale, so it only seemed fitting that we turn it into soup!

Here is the recipe from Vegan Yum Yum for Creamy Kale Soup. The directions can be found there.

We decided to double the recipe, since we were taking the soup to our friend house for dinner. In addition to these ingredients, we also added approximately 1 3/4 cup coconut milk, 3 chili peppers, and the juice of half a lime. It’s worth mentioning that Amy has made this before, following the recipe exactly, and found it really awesome (so did her family and coworkers!) We simply had other stuff in the fridge that we thought might add something great.

So we cranked up the Gorillaz (both the Demon Days and Gorillaz albums) and started cooking!

Now as you might notice in the directions, some of the ingredients are to be sauteed. We opted to use a slow cooker only because its easier. We also blended the entire thing, making it ever so creamy. We both agreed that though it may have been good only half blended, the texture was great this way.

So what did we think? Well as it was cooking, the cumin sort of made the apartment smell like an arm pit. It did start smelling a lot better once the slow cooker got up to temperature. Ultimately it came out great! We took the 4 liters of soup to a friends house, and served it with some really great sour dough bread. The feedback was wonderful, as everyone seemed to really like it, including their 2 year old.

OK… so we admit, this is not the most original idea for a blog. Most of the recipes that we’ll post aren’t our own but recipes that Amy has collected in cookbooks and other (better?) food blogs.

So here’s the scoop. We are two crazy kids, Paul and Amy, who love making a mess in the kitchen. Amy being a “polite” vegetarian, will eat sea food… but nothing cuter. Paul is an opportunistic eater, who really digs on healthier food, and feels that tofu is a friend of his.

We gather the ingredients, pick a playlist in iTunes and have an amazing time cooking together. But here’s where our blog is different! We don’t just follow the recipes, we make them our own! How often do you find yourself an awesome recipe and realize that you’re missing a few ingredients or you notice those vegetables in your crisper are moments away from being nasty? Basically, we RARELY end up with the original author’s recipe. We also really LOVE spicy food and Amy HATES garlic.

So what’s the point? We find a recipe, change it a bit to fit our needs, and rate it!

So if you happen to read this collection of ramblings, please feel free to comment, as we would love to know what you think of our versions and/or our ratings.